Feathers and Fuzz

one woman's cure for the empty-nester blues

Red-bellied Woodpecker

There’s Good News – There’s Bad News

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I have always been one to want to hear the bad news first.  I like the good news last -- ending on a high note.  So, you'll have to follow my lead.  The BIG BAD news is this ...

He's Back!!

Bear is Back - July 2018
Bear on his back July 2018

AND ... He appears to be QUITE comfy here

I will share some video in the coming weeks, but I have to say ... so far he has been quite the gentleman.  Except for the mangling of the trash can, he has carefully pulled the lid off the plastic food containers inside the trash can (no chomping) ... and ... he has even nicely carried them into the woods by their handle.

Even so ... in spite of (Garden) Daddy Bluebird's STRONG objection ... tonight I took his babies (house and all) into the safety of my basement. They are sleeping nicely and safely.  I seriously PRAY my basement is safe!!!  I would tell you I am selling this house if this isn't the case ... but you already know my promises are worthless.

So, for now, that's the bad news.

The Good News Is ...

It has been so fun to watch the juvenile birds appearing at the birdbath and feeders.  I love to watch them explore the world on their own ... boldly behaving as their elders would.

In the feature video, a juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker and a juvenile Northern Mockingbird co-exist.  The Red-bellied is a bit more prepared to do battle than the Mockingbird ... until the juvenile Bluebird shows up.  Then ... for whatever Hatfield-and-McCoy history exists between the Mockingbird Clan and the Bluebird Clan ... the Mockingbird is NOT going to allow the Bluebird into his territory.  It's such a fun contrast to the re-appearance of the black bear.

Don’t You Just Hate It … When Your Lunch is Frozen?

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The Red-bellied Woodpecker returns in this post.  If you remember, he was having a hard time hanging onto his peanuts in a previous post.  Well, now, he has to contend with the fact that his lunch is frozen.  Since he was designed with a long, heavy beak for hammering on trees to extract insects, he is well-equipped for the task.  He has chosen suet as his lunch — chipping frozen bits out of the log.  I find it fascinating to watch how he keeps his belly pushed up against the log to catch the pieces he drops.